Sen. Larry Craig returned Tuesday to the Senate for the first time since announcing he intends to resign after his arrest in a restroom sex sting. Craig's fellow Republicans refused to say much about the reappearance of the senator.

A defiant, Democratic-controlled Senate approved legislation Thursday calling for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq within a year, propelling Congress closer to an epic, wartime veto confrontation with President Bush.

A defiant, Democratic-controlled Senate approved legislation Thursday calling for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq within a year, propelling Congress closer to an epic, wartime veto confrontation with President Bush.

On the Republican side of the aisle, the big surprise from this week's leadership elections was the comeback of Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi. Lott, unceremoniously dumped as Senate majority leader after making a racially insensitive remark four years ago, was narrowly elected to the No. 2 GOP leadership post.

In a striking defeat for President Bush, White House counsel Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to the Supreme Court on Thursday after three weeks of brutal criticism from fellow conservatives. The Senate's top Republican predicted a replacement candidate within days.

As Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers continued to woo senators on the Republican right Thursday, President Bush tapped a staunchly conservative former senator to help shepherd her nomination through the confirmation process.

President Bush on Monday chose C. Boyden Gray, a former White House counsel who has been steering a group formed to push the president's Supreme Court nominee, to be the U.S. ambassador to the European Union.